Fed: Advice on office gift giving

AAP General News (Australia)
12-13-2001
Fed: Advice on office gift giving

SYDNEY, Dec 13 AAP - Finding a gift with the right mix of the professional and personal
can be a difficult task when Christmas shopping for colleagues.

Who should get a gift? What should it be? How much should you spend? And how do you
avoid looking like you're sucking up to the boss?

These and other questions were included in a survey of 4,500 Australian employees conducted
by internet career site Monster.com.au.

According to Monster.com, 42.8 per cent of respondents intended to exchange gifts with
co-workers this Christmas and 20 per cent said they would buy for their boss.

Women were more likely to buy for colleagues than men, and employees aged between 19
and 25 were more likely to buy Christmas presents for peers than employees aged over 55,
the survey revealed.

However, if you were thinking of buying your accounts manager edible underwear, or
a small car for your computer technician, then note Monster's advice.

To avoid gift-giving gaffes, employees should not buy highly personal presents for colleagues.

Likewise, gifts should not be too extravagant or exceed office spending guidelines,
otherwise Christmas enthusiasm could be perceived as "brown-nosing", Monster warned.

Unless you intend to give gifts to all your peers, presents should be given privately.

And if you want to get a surprise for your boss, it's better to involve your department.

Personal assistants should always receive a gift and staff such as cleaners and postal
carriers should not be forgotten, Monster said.

A final tip for employees: Send a thank-you note to any colleague that remembers you
this Christmas.

AAP hn/jjs/ph/br n

KEYWORD: XMAS GIFTS

2001 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.